Last.



Patented May 7, l90l. N. W. ARNOLD.

Nu. 673,57l

LAST.

(Applicatiqn filed June 27, 1900.)

(liq Modal.)

INVEN EJ \XA NEEEEE;

UNITED STATES V PATENT @EFICE.

NATHANIEL W. ARNOLD, OF NORTH ABINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

LAST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,571, dated May 7, 1901.

Application filed June 27, 1900.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LNATHANIEL W. ARNOLD, of North Abington, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lasts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to sectional lasts for use in the manufacture or display of shoes, and more particularly to that class of lasts wherein the heel part may be swung'upward with respect to the fore part to shorten the last, and thus permit its easy insertion into or its withdrawal from a shoe.

The object of the present invention is the simplification of the articulation between the sections of the last and to provide an articulating member which holds the two sections in an operative position with a yielding pressure without danger of said sections becoming displaced during the process of manufacturing the shoe.

To this end the invention consists of a last having novel connecting means, substantially as illustrated upon the drawings, described in the following specification, and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents in side elevation a sectional last embodying the invention. Fig. 2 represents the same last with the. heel part thrown up into position to permit the insertion of the last into a shoe. Fig. 3 represents another form of last embodying the invention. Fig. 4 represents a plan view of a portion of the same.

a On the drawings a sectional last is shown having the two transversely-divided solid sections at and I), connected. by an articulating member 0, which constitutes the sole connection between the sections. Said member consists of a flat or leaf spring formed of resilient sheet metal and placed above the bottom of the last, so that the longitudinal strain of the upper of the shoe on the last from too to heel will be such that the abutting ends or meeting faces of the two sections a and 1) below the spring will be brought together and the last held in operative position by the pressure of the upper. The spring, however, not

Serial No. 21,771. (No model.)

- only performs the function of a hinge in articulately connecting the sections, but it holds them in operative position in the last, the leaf form of the spring making it flexible sidewise, but practically rigid or inflexible edgewise, so that its flexibility enables it to act as a hinge, while its edgewise rigidity enables it to hold the sections in place laterally.

The meeting faces a b may be plane surfaces, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or else one may be convex and the other concave, as illustrated in Fig. 3. In either event the spring holds them yieldingly together, although it permits the heel part to be swung upward relatively to the fore part. The spring is so attached to the two sections that it prevents all movement of one relatively to the other, except an oscillatory movement of the heel part upward and forward relatively to the toe part and thence back again to operative position. Said springis non-extensible, and consequently it prevents the sections being moved in opposite directions to separate them and also prevents one of the sections moving bodily laterally relatively to the other.

Various means may be employed for securing the articulating member or'spring to the two parts of the last. In Fig. 1 it is shown as inserted laterally into V-shaped grooves a b cut in the confronting faces of the sections, and it is provided with-downwardlybent anchoring ends 0 c, which lie in slots formed at the ends of the grooves. Pins (1 d are forced laterally into the sections to rigidly secure the ends of the spring against movement; but it is evident that other means may be employed in lieu thereof.

The grooves a b are, as stated,V-shaped; but it will be observed that the upper walls are curved, while the lower walls lie in the same plane, so that when the heel part is moved upward relatively to the fore part the meeting faces a b are permitted to separate, the spring in such case engaging the curved walls of the grooves.

When the last is in its operative position, as shown in Fig. 1, the lower sides of the recesses bear closely against the under side of the spring, which cooperates with the abutting faces of the sections below the recesses in holding the sections firmly in the position last mentioned.

In Fig. 3 the last which I have shown is of the type called followers, and the top of the last is cut away, as shown, to provide a fiat surface 6, which is common to the two sections. The two parts a, and bin this case are connected by aflat spring 0, which is secured to them by screws ff. The curvature of the meeting faces of the parts ctand b(shown in Fig. 3) assists in positioning said parts when the spring moves the heel part into operative position, and in case it be found desirable to employ positioning means with the form of last shown in Figs. 1 and 2 I may form the toe part. a with a semicylindrical groove a to receive a similar tongue or projection 5 carried by the heel part. This tongue or projection may be formed of a cylindrical pin inserted in the groove 12 in the face of the heel part.

The last shown in Fig. 3 is provided with an adjustable stop g, against which the heelsection engages to limitits upward movement.

Having thus explained the nature of the invention and described a way of constructing and using the same, although without having attempted to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes of its use, I declare that what I claim is 1. A sectional last having transversely-divided solid sections with abutting ends, and an articulation connecting said sections and consisting of a spring which is flexible sidewise but practically rigid or inflexible edgewise, said spring being attached at its ends to said sections, and arranged so that its flexibility permits one section to swing relatively to the other while its rigidity prevents bodily lateral movement, of either section.

2. A sectional last divided transversely into two solid abutting sections and a spring which is flexible sidewise and practically rigid or inflexible edgewise secured rigidly to each of said sections, said sections being otherwise unconnected.

3. A sectional last having transversely-divided solid abutting sections and a leaf-spring articulately connecting said sections.

4. A sectional last having transversely-divided abutting sections,a spring which is flexible sidewise and practically rigid or inflexible edgewise, said spring forming the sole connection between said sections, and means for fastening the ends of said spring to said sections, whereby said spring holds said sections against rectilinear movement relatively to each other.

5. A sectional last having transversely-divided abutting sections and a leaf-spring arranged substantially parallel to the sole of the said last, and forming the articulation between the said sections.

6. A sectional lastdividetl transversely into solid sections and having a flat spring arranged parallel to the bottom of the last and connecting the sections thereof, said spring forming the articulation for said sections, whereby the heel-section may be swung upward and forward relatively to the toe-section.

7. A last having transversely-divided sections, a flat spring forming the articulation for said sections, and means on said sections for operatively positioning them under pressure of the said spring.

8. A sectional last divided transversely and having its sections provided with grooves longitudinal thereof, and aspring having its ends secured in said grooves.

9. A sectional last divided transversely and having its sections provided with grooves longitudinal thereof, and a spring having bent ends secured in said grooves.

10. A sectional last divided transversely intoia solid toe-section and a solid heel-section, said sections being cut away at their upper portions whereby one or the other may be swung upward with, relation to the other, and normally abutting at their lower portions, a spring which is flexible sidewise but practically rigid or inflexible edgewise, and forms the articulation between said parts,and means for fastening the ends of said spring rigidly to said sections.

11. A sectional last divided transversely into two sections with normally abutting ends, a spring which is flexible sidewise butpractically rigid or inflexible edgewise, said spring connecting said sections to permit one to be swung upward with relation to the other, and holding one section against rectilinear movement with relation to the other, when the sections are in normal position, and are under pressure as in a lasting operation.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

NATHANIEL W. ARNOLD.

Witnesses: I

C. F. BROWN, A. D. HARRISON. 

